Half & Half teams with Spark of Love toy drive for Redlands concert

A benefit rock concert in memory of a beloved Redlands volleyball coach will net scholarships for players and serve up kids' holiday gifts for distribution through the 20th Spark of Love Toy Drive.

Paradigm Volleyball Club coach Christina Little, who died of breast cancer in 2007, knew all about gift-giving, says Tim Watkins, the father of a volleyball player and one of the organizers of the concert. She frequently used her coaching stipend to pay club fees for kids who couldn't afford them, he said. Club parents established the scholarship in her name. Money raised at the benefit concert will support the scholarship fund, which pays club fees for promising players who would not otherwise be able to participate.

"We knew that we wanted to continue to make this a community event," said Watkins. "We knew the Redlands Fire Department was engaged with the ABC7 Spark of Love fundraising. It just seemed natural to put the two together. There's plenty of room for giving."

Featured bands at Paradigm Palooza, 7 p.m. Friday at the Fox Theater, are 8-Track, Who's Clayton and headliner Half & Half. Paradigm Volleyball Club and The Yoga Room will host the concert. The city and the Redlands Fire Department sponsor the annual toy drive.

"One of the things about this organizers are hopeful about is it would be an annual, ongoing event to keep Christina's name alive in the city of Redlands," Watkins said.

Concertgoers who bring new, unwrapped toys or sports equipment for the 20th Anniversary Spark of Love Toy Drive will be admitted free on a first-come, first-served basis, one ticket per gift donation.

The recommendation from Spark of Love is the toy should have at minimum $10 value.

Otherwise, general admission tickets are $7 and $10, and student tickets are $5. They are available through the event website; at the office of the Redlands Daily Facts, 700 Brookside Avenue; at The Yoga Room, 721 Nevada St., Suite 303; or at the Beast Athlete, 721 Nevada St., Suite 211.

Redlands firefighters are leading local collection efforts for the toy drive, which distributes new, unwrapped toys and sports equipment to children and teens in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura and Riverside counties. This year's goal, firefighters say, is to exceed last year's collection of 500,000 toys.